Seven people have died, two more are missing and at least 176 homes have been destroyed in the NSW south coast bushfires.
NSW RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons is warning that more deaths are expected after the severity of the fire conditions on New Year's Eve and New Year's day.
"The preliminary advice is that we will sadly see the number of lives lost -- that will climb this afternoon and those figures will be confirmed in the very near future.
"The single biggest issue we're finding is the communications delays."
A 70-year-old man was found dead late on Tuesday outside a home at Yatte Yattah, west of Lake Conjola.
Emergency services on Wednesday discovered a man's body in a burnt-out car near the Princes Highway at Yatte Yattah, another man in a vehicle in Sussex Inlet and a body outside a home at Coolagolite, east of Cobargo.
Young father Patrick Salway, 29, his dad Robert Salway, 63, and volunteer firefighter Sam McPaul, 28, were confirmed dead earlier this week in separate blazes that ravaged the state's south.
A 72-year-old man remains missing at Belowra, west of Narooma, while a 70-year- old woman is missing after her home in Conjola Park was destroyed by fire on Tuesday.
Buildings destroyed by fire are seen on the Main Street in Cobargo, NSW. Source: AAP
176 homes destroyed
Her home is among 89 in Conjola Park and 176 homes across the state destroyed since Monday.
Malua Bay lost 40 homes while 15 were destroyed in Rosedale.
The NSW Rural Fire Service said damage has also been wrought in the Snowy Mountains and towards Tumbarumba, as well as on the NSW Central Coast.
Some of the worst-affected communities along the coast battled bushfires into Tuesday night with no power and limited telecommunications.
"This is by no means the end of the losses, just simply because crews are still out assessing," RFS Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers told reporters on Wednesday.
He said emergency services were doing all they could to get to people stuck across the south coast.
"Some of these people, they may be hurt, but they also may be very concerned about where they're at and want to reconnect with people," he said.
"Today has been about trying to reconnect with people that have been isolated in areas.
"I don't think that work is finished yet."
NSW Premier says more deaths, further property damage expected
Bega Valley Shire Mayor Kristy McBain on Tuesday confirmed dozens of property losses in her district after two days where bushfires blackened the sky.
Property inspectors are expected to tour fire sites across NSW throughout Wednesday and authorities are seeking to clear and open arterial roads.
However, dangerous fire conditions are forecast to return on Saturday.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said communities needed to prepare themselves for the possibility of more fatalities and the certainty that conditions will worsen over the weekend.
"I do want everyone to brace themselves," she told reporters in Batemans Bay.
"Many people who have been here for decades are just completely shocked that the fire reached as far as it did."
Plea for patience as power outage expected to last for 'extended period'
Large swaths of the south coast between Nowra and Batemans Bay will likely be without power and some telecommunications for an "extended period".
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys asked for patience as police and utility providers tried their best to get services restored.
"It's a tedious task. There is no magic wand to wave across this and fix it in a short amount of time," he said.
"We have to make sure that when we restart the power, we do that with safety and confidence, that it will remain on. People need to understand this is not a simple or easy task."
As of 4pm on Wednesday, 102 fires were burning statewide with 40 uncontrolled.
Seven blazes were at watch-and-act level while no emergency warnings were current.
Since the start of July, at least 15 people have died and 1087 homes have been destroyed by bushfires in NSW. More than 3.6 million hectares - three times the size of Sydney's metro area - have been burnt.
Late on Tuesday, environmentalist Greta Thunberg weighed in on the NSW fires, tweeting the ironic hashtag #ThisIsFine with a video of a fire front passing over a Fire and Rescue NSW crew's truck.
The Wyoming crew had been cutting a path along a dark road south of Nowra before the fire front closed in on their flank and passed over them.
